On Holy Friday evening, April 10, the Orthros and Service of the Lamentations at the Tomb of the Lord was held at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Upper Darby, bringing clergy and faithful together for one of the most solemn observances of Holy Week.
His Eminence Metropolitan Apostolos of New Jersey presided, continuing his movement across parishes in the Philadelphia region as part of this year’s Holy Week schedule.
At the center of the evening is the epitaphios, placed in the nave and surrounded by the congregation as the Lamentations are chanted. The hymns return to the same moment, the burial of Christ, carried in a steady rhythm that fills the church.
At St. Demetrios, parishioners moved forward in turn, passing beneath the epitaphios or standing nearby as the chanting continued. The service unfolded without pause, one set of hymns giving way to the next, with the chanting continuing throughout.
In Upper Darby, this was one stop in a broader sequence of Holy Week observances across multiple communities. Earlier in the week, Metropolitan Apostolos presided at the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Wilmington, Delaware, and later at the Orthros and Service of the Lord’s Passion at St. Thomas Greek Orthodox Church in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
Cosmos Philly has been following that movement throughout the week, documenting the Metropolitan’s presence across parishes as the services progress from day to day.
Watch more from Holy Week:
- Hierarchical Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, Wilmington, DE
- Orthros and Service of the Lord’s Passion, Cherry Hill, NJ
Read more: